Home, Take Three
by Nancy Brown
Summary: It's their first Christmas together.


Title: Home, Take Three  
>Characters: JackIanto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen  
>Rating: Adults Only<br>Summary: It's their first Christmas together.  
>AN: Not a follow-up to anything. Could be a prequel to most of it, though. 

* * *

><p>Ianto cracked his eyes open. Two things became readily apparent. First, he was in his own bed despite the sun already being up, when typically he awoke before dawn and lately quite often not here. Second, he wasn't alone. Peculiarly, Jack was still asleep, making this situation unique. When Ianto stayed over at the Hub, at best he woke to Jack already awake and watching him, but more typically he was alone in Jack's cramped little bed.<p>

Odd.

A quick look around the room allowed his gaze to land on the dirty pile of Jack's clothes in the corner, and events rearranged themselves. Jack had called him in the wee hours for help. John Ellis had killed himself in Ianto's car. Jack stank of exhaust. Ianto wasn't sure if he ought to be worried for Jack's mental state or berate him for risking his own life to assist in another man's suicide. He settled for helping Jack clean up the mess.

When they'd finished, he'd practically ordered Jack to come home with him for a shower and a rest, and atypically, Jack had agreed without protest. More typically, once he'd cleaned off and recovered, Jack had talked Ianto into making good use of the bed. Sex wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism, but Ianto was starting to think it was Jack's only one.

Which led them to this morning. "Hi," said Jack, waking with a stiff smile.

"Happy Christmas," Ianto replied, and on impulse, kissed him. Jack's surprised reciprocation turned warm. Instinctively, like plants turning towards sunlight, Jack's arms wrapped around him. Lips met, hands moved, and they soon set up their easy rhythm, the one they'd built over the last month. They'd come together for simple warmth and mutual loneliness, and as Jack's hand delved between his thighs, Ianto wasn't sure this was much different. But his own fingers were steady, and despite the cold darkness he'd seen on Jack's face last night, now he was open and smiling, mouth whispering delight as they stroked each other.

Ianto was close, so close, right there. The buzzer rang.

"Fuck," he said into Jack's neck, and Jack obliged by twisting his wrist just so. The orgasm rushed through him, and he panted. The buzzer rang again.

"I'll just go answer that," he said in a shaky voice. Jack made a disappointed face. Ianto kissed him quickly, then moved Jack's hand onto his own erection with an evil smile.

"Don't finish until I get back. I want to watch."

He tugged on sweatpants, closed the bedroom door, and went to the door of his flat. Toshiko waited on his doorstep. "Hi, Ianto," she said nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's all right. Did you need something?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," he said automatically, and mentally kicked himself as she smiled gratefully and stepped inside. Jack wasn't psychic but Ianto sent him a mental 'Shutupshutupshutup' anyway.

"You've decorated a bit." She didn't add, "Since the last time I was here, tossing your place for other illicit alien technology, which is why it was probably fair you were tasked with scanning my flat later." The grimace passing over her face was enough.

"A little. I haven't been home much. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Tea if you've got some, thanks."

She followed him to the kitchen, away from the bedroom. "I thought you were spending Christmas with your family."

"I was. I am. I'm driving to London in a few hours."

Mystified, he readied the electric kettle. "Is there something wrong at the Hub?"

"No, no. It's just ... " She sat heavily in one of his kitchen chairs, squeaking the legs on the linoleum. "It's Owen."

"Oh."

Ianto hadn't missed how much time Owen was spending with Diane these days, or had been. Yesterday she'd flown off into the Rift rather than stay with him. Ianto privately considered that he'd do the same had he thought those his only choices.

"I don't begrudge him falling for Diane. She's interesting and exciting." The words were leaden. "But he's also got Gwen on the side. I don't understand."

What she didn't understand was plain, even to him. She could accept a string of nameless shags. She could even accept his falling into one heady affair with someone. But Owen was sleeping with one woman and had fallen in love with another, and Tosh wasn't even on his radar for either. After Lisa, after the cannibals, and then after Mary, the two of them had become quiet confidantes about this, if not about everything.

The kettle sang. Ianto took out three mugs, and hurriedly put one back. He made two cups of tea, on the one hand wanting to offer a sympathetic ear, on the other rather hoping she got it off her chest and went off to her own family.

"Thanks." She drank her tea.

"Let me get a shirt on," he said, patting her shoulder. Jack had the covers off and a terrifically dirty smile as his hand went to work the moment the door closed.

"Stop it," Ianto mouthed, or tried to, but he stuttered to a stop as Jack's eyes locked onto his. Ianto could only break the gaze to look down, to see Jack writhing and thrusting his hips silently as he pumped into his own hand.

"You said you wanted to watch. So watch."

Ianto hissed, "Tosh is in the next room!"

This announcement did not appear to have the desired effect on Jack, whose body twisted and convulsed. He came all over himself, sticky and messy, and were Tosh not a thin wall away from them, Ianto would have immediately climbed onto Jack's body and licked him clean.

In fact ...

He bent just his head, taking a taste of the ejaculate at the joining of Jack's hand and the retreating head of his cock. Jack convulsed again, and the bed shook.

Ianto raised his finger to his lips. Jack mouthed, "Spoilsport."

"Stay quiet. I'll be back." He ducked into an old hoodie, just as the buzzer went again.

Jack tilted his head curiously. Ianto shrugged, just as confused.

He emerged from the room just as Tosh opened the door. Owen stood outside, cross expression on his face, a bottle of something inexpensive in one hand.

"Owen!" said Tosh, delight open on her face.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he said.

Ianto said, "The usual phrase is 'Merry Christmas' or 'Hello.'" Owen pushed inside past him without asking for an invitation.

"Won't you come in?" The sarcasm fell off Owen's rock-hard annoyance without leaving a mark.

"Christmas is the worst fucking holiday ever invented, and if I stayed at mine, I was going to shoot myself. So I thought, who do I know who's a bigger sad sack than I am today? Tosh, you were next on the list."

Ianto mouthed to her, "Sorry I was home." She shrugged back.

From the bedroom, there came a loud crash. Ianto's eyes widened.

Owen said, "What the hell's that?" He got his gun out. Ianto waved him down fast. If Owen ran mad into the bedroom and found their boss naked there, this would officially be the second-worst Christmas of Ianto's life.

"It's probably the cat," he lied without a pause.

Tosh asked, "When did you get a cat?"

Owen's face spoke eloquently how sad he thought Ianto's life must be for him to have added a cat. Still better than finding out about Jack.

"Oh, a few weeks ago. I thought it'd give me something. To come home to," he finished, fading off as Tosh beamed her approval and Owen rolled his eyes.

"What's her name?"

"Um." His imagination was good at constructing stories when he had time. "He doesn't really have one yet. I haven't come up with the right name. You know, cats. They don't come to their names anyway. I call him Shithead."

That earned a snort from Owen and a small, encouraging smile from Toshiko, who seemed happy to stay where she was as long as Owen was there.

"I'll see what he knocked over," Ianto said, giving her a few minutes with Owen to herself. He let himself back into the bedroom. The empty bedroom. The window hadn't closed properly behind Jack as he'd climbed out, and he'd knocked over the lamp. Ianto sighed. He hadn't really planned anything with Jack. Surely the man had other obligations of his own today. They weren't really anything to each other except a warm body for a reliable after-hours fuck. Spending Christmas together implied significantly more. That wasn't them.

Ergo, he was not in the least disappointed Jack had left without a goodbye. He told himself so and nearly believed it.

Back in the kitchen, Owen had made more tea, and Tosh sat watching him. Ianto gave in. "I haven't eaten yet. Would either of you like something?"

Owen immediately opened the refrigerator as Tosh said, "It's almost eleven. We could fix some lunch."

Eleven? That made some sense. They'd finished the cleanup of John Ellis's sad life not long before dawn.

Ianto pulled out pots and pans, inspecting whatever Owen handed him, wondering what he could knock together as edible. He was unsurprised when the buzzer rang again, and was even less surprised when Gwen waited at his doorstep.

"Hi, Gwen," he said, ushering her inside.

"Hi, Ianto. I was dropping Emma off at the station. She's going off to London today. I didn't want to go home yet." She played nervously with the hem of her jumper as she saw the others. "Was there a party I forgot?"

"We're making lunch," said Tosh from her chair at the table.

Owen offered Gwen a grim smile. "We're trying. Unfortunately Jones here only has eggs and the hairiest cheese I've ever met. Also some milk going walking."

"For the cat?" asked Tosh.

"Sure."

Owen found a large bowl and began cracking the last of the eggs without asking. Gwen set her handbag on the floor and took a seat with Toshiko at the table.

Ianto considered briefly shooting them all, but dismissed this as impractical.

As the eggs sizzled in the pan, the buzzer rang again.

Ianto opened the door and was greeted with Jack. Also a pizza. Before anyone could say a word, Jack said, "My date cancelled on me. Can you believe it? This face? So I figured, you'd said you were staying in today, and I thought I'd surprise you by bringing you lunch for once."

Jack then did a passable expression of surprise as he took in the other three. "Unless I'm intruding? If this is going to turn into an orgy, I'd be happy to film the proceedings."

This led to a groan around the room, and the girls taking the pizza from him. Jack gave Ianto a quiet, knowing smile as they retrieved plates. Only Owen took a look at the front hallway, where Jack's coat still hung from late last night / early this morning.

Oops.

Owen rolled his eyes again, and didn't say anything.

"Merry Christmas," said Jack, passing Ianto some pizza.

"You, too."


End file.
